Software - Workflow

GMG UK has appointed City & West End Solutions (CWES) as the sole UK HP reseller for its new wide-format colour management and workflow solution, the GMG ProductionSuite.  The alliance between GMG and CWES was sealed at Sign & Digital 2012 and is effective immediately.

“City & West End Solutions has vast experience in the wide format sector and a tremendous reputation for delivering first rate products and service nationwide. This is a strong and symbiotic partnership that unites GMG’s new workflow which is designed to streamline wide format production with the UK’s largest HP sales and support operation,” says Ian Scott, MD, GMG GMbH. “It’s great for CWES, great for GMG and, most importantly, great for the industry.”

The 30-strong CWES team sells and supports the full range of HP Designjet printers from 42in–3.2m width.  The agreement with GMG comes soon after CWES’ move to bigger premises just south of London to accommodate the company’s growth, in addition to its established Sheffield office.

“Having our own experienced nationwide technical support team, not only to provide the best support for our customers, but also to assist our ever growing sales force, has ensured our growth is driven by delivering the very best tools and technology in an ever demanding market sector,” says Doug Gilbertson, CWES Managing Director. This serves to confirm the reason the company has received the largest HP reseller award for Signage & Display in UK for the second year in a row."

He continues, “GMG ProductionSuite is a very powerful workflow management tool. It takes the headache out of managing production to deliver consistent and comparable colour across multiple printers and media mix, while saving time, saving ink and increasing capacity. What’s not to love!”

With ProductionSuite, GMG enters the wide-format sector with the market’s most complete solution for automated, standardised, colour-consistent production of indoor and outdoor advertising, sign and super wide-format printing.  It combines GMG’s renowned colour management technology with new job automation and file preparation capabilities in a single system for wide-format pre-press, print and finishing.  Target applications range from inkjet-based wide-format production of banners, POS material, displays and vehicle wraps, to industrial wide-format production in very large-format production environments, such as billboards, POS-material, large-format lettering.

EFI announced today that printing company Druckerei Hanemann in Weil am Rhein-Ötlingen (Germany) has decided to replace its Alphagraph Prinance system with the EFI Pace management system. The full-service, twelve employee-strong printing company has been supplying printed goods and promotional items of all kinds to its customers for more than 25 years.

"I decided in favour of EFI Pace because it is an integrated system. You only need to enter data once from price quote all the way through to delivery note and invoice, and it functions quickly and reliably," said managing director Fabian Berger."I am looking forward to improved integration of our Fiery® controllers and web-to-print shop with EFI Pace. Eliminating manual input and direct digital transfer of data minimises errors and streamlines the work process.As print runs are becoming ever shorter, quote requests are increasing, and delivery times are getting ever shorter, we need to work faster and faster and avoid sources of error. Pace was an easy decision because as a leading player in the workflow arena, EFI have a strong offering that we will be able to work with for many years, and which benefits from EFI's established support organisation in Germany."

An important advantage is the browser-based nature of EFI Pace. Every employee can access Pace from his or her PC or Mac workstation without needing any other software.Berger values being able to work from anywhere and at any time, from any computer with an internet connection.EFI Pace makes access considerably faster and easier. For example, during conversations with customers he can easily call up his calculations on the iPad and see exactly how much room there is for negotiation.

EFI Pace can also be installed on hosted servers at an internet provider, saving expensive server and IT systems.

Solutions from Alphagraph such as Prinance will still be developed, supported and sold to existing customers by EFI. Alphagraph customers on maintenance are eligible for special price discounts on new EFI systems.

For more information on EFI Pace, visit www.efi.com

Druckerei Laub GmbH & Co. KG in Elztal-Dallau (Germany) has decided to replace its Alphagraph Prinance workflow with the EFI Pace print MIS.  The full-service, owner-operated offset and digital print shop with over 60 employees has been supplying its customers with a wide variety of printed goods for 115 years. After using the Alphagraph Prinance workflow since 1997, the company decided to switch to the EFI Pace system following an intensive evaluation process.

The family-owned company is run by Gerhard Cherdron and his daughter Anke Cherdron, who was heavily involved in the evaluation process.  "We decided in favour of EFI Pace because just like Prinance it was developed by experts who are fully conversant with technical production operations in print shops," said Anke Cherdron.  "We developed a comprehensive materials planning system that we had not been able to update since 2009 due to increases and special requirements, but now we can use again with EFI Pace.What was helpful to us was the option to transfer part of the data from Prinance.Changing software after 15 years of use provides the opportunity to clean out-of-date data.."

A key decision-making criterion for Druckerei Laub was that Pace is a browser-based server that runs local or in the cloud.  "We used to have to complete the updates of around 15 computers individually and simultaneously, which was forever causing us problems and taking up a lot of time.With Pace, only the server is updated and all the computers accessing the server use the latest data," added Cherdron.

EFI played another part in the decision-making process.Laub was already familiar with EFI as a company from the Fiery colour servers working on various imagesetters and printing machines.  "With EFI we are investing in a market leader with an international presence and sufficient resources for ongoing development and support for their software, so we hope to be able to work with EFI Pace in the long term," said Cherdron.  "We estimate that it will take about six months until we have added all the information to Pace for all our requirements during ongoing production, and then around a year until all employees are fully conversant with their workspaces. In these circumstances, we simply cannot trust a system supplier unless we can be certain they will still be around in five years."

Solutions from Alphagraph such as Prinance, etc. will still be developed, supported and sold to existing customers, but will no longer be offered to new customers. Alphagraph customers on maintenance are eligible for special price discounts on new EFI systems.  EFI will continue to provide reliable support for customers using Alphagraph solutions - currently more than 6000 installations in 15 countries - for several more years to come, was the assurance from Georg Hollenbach, Managing Director of EFI GmbH and Alphagraph on the occasion of the acquisition of Alphagraph by EFI.

For more information, please visit www.efi.com

Over 130,000 Enfocus PitStop users worldwide will benefit from significantly more accurate and flexible PDF preflight and correction when Enfocus releases PitStop Pro and PitStop Server 11 at drupa 2012.  PitStop 11’s “Smart Preflight & Correction” is a key Enfocus advance that allows real-time interactions of user or job-fed Preflight Profile settings.

According to Enfocus, the automated use of metadata (e.g. JDF and XML) for job processing, via PitStop Server, introduces a new level of automation.

Enfocus PitStop Pro and Server users repeatedly say that their PitStop preflight solution is the most crucial contributor to the success of their PDF workflows. “PitStop 11 allows customers to continue to use their familiar PitStop technology while moving into this new era of preflight,” says Enfocus Product Manager for PitStop Pro and PitStop Server, Leen Vanmaele.

Preflight made Specific to Each Job

Vanmaele says the company has been working to make the preflight process more accurate, and specifically reflective of individual job requirements. In sum, she explains that organisations have not been able to take full advantage of PitStop’s preflight and correction capabilities, because creation of individualised preflight checks and fixes for each job required highly time-consuming creation of a different Preflight Profile for every possible combination of values and conditions.

New PitStop Pro and PitStop Server 11 unleash the full power of the checking and correction options available in the PitStop engine with user-fed or automatic, job-fed values. These are used by the Preflight Profiles to direct which checks and fixes should be over-ridden and open to change at job run-time. Fast and correct linking of the PDF with customers’ specific requirements makes service faster and more accurate. Overall quality is improved and processes are standardised.

PitStop Pro 11 will give its customers the ability to use smart values to check and correct a PDF; while PitStop Server 11 users can enjoy a completely hands-off, new level of automation. In the latter case, PitStop Server preflight settings and values can be driven by job-specific information such as JDF or XML job tickets, often generated by a MIS or an Ad Booking system.

Additional Features: Streamlined Interface and Smarter Text Editing

Additional improvements and changes to PitStop 11 include a cleaner, more streamlined interface making preflight and result navigation more user friendly.

PitStop 11 also brings smarter text editing. For instance a handy “Find and Replace” text tool allows PitStop Pro users to quickly find text, and if desired can immediately replace it while maintaining the PDF’s existing format. Text is also automatically re-merged on a single line, if needed. This will significantly improve ease of use and editing capabilities.

PitStop Server Customers Will More Easily Move into Smart Automation

Research data shows that PitStop Server 11 users will be well positioned to move into more advanced, digital workflows where metatagged, JDF and XML-embedded files interact intelligently with production processes along the way.

As PitStop Server customers become more familiar with utilizing metadata, they will aim to achieve end-to-end automation within a workflow. Switch 11, Enfocus’ new modular automation solution, is the answer to these users.

“Enfocus continues to improve production environments in a profound, yet logical, way,” says Fabian Prudhomme, Enfocus VP. “We round the next curve before our customers do; so that we’re ready for them when they reach their next goal or destination.”

Availability

Beginning immediately, users purchasing or upgrading to PitStop Pro / Server 10 now will be entitled to a free upgrade to PitStop Pro / Server 11, until the actual release date.  Pre-drupa promotions are also available through Enfocus resellers.

PitStop Pro 11 and PitStop Server 11 will be available by beginning of May 2012.

For more information on promotions and pricing, please contact your local reseller or Enfocus at sales@enfocus.com.

Enfocus has announced the launch of Switch 11. According to Enfocus Vice President Fabian Prudhomme, there has been “a metamorphosis” of the Switch product line following a 'ground-up restructuring of Enfocus’ uniquely flexible and powerful Switch automation technology.'  Enfocus will show Switch in its newest iteration at the drupa 2012 exhibit Hall 8b, Stand A23.

Over a year of behind-the-scenes process improvements and focused market research have combined to transform the Enfocus Switch line into the future-proof, next-generation Switch 11 version.

Now, instead of choosing between three versions of Enfocus Switch (Light, Full, and Power), customers can completely customise Switch according to their unique needs. The difference begins with a new, multipurpose Switch Core Engine that not only serves as the necessary foundation for all Switch operations, but is now itself an automation solution for the most common, time-consuming tasks faced daily by all publishing production companies.

Eight additional modules cover the market’s most in-demand functions for intelligent connectivity with existing or new prepress, database and other applications. These are the Configurator, Metadata, Database, Scripting, SwitchClient, Web Services, Performance and SwitchProxy modules. More modules may be developed by Enfocus on an as-needed basis; and customers have the option of using the Scripting module for development of specific integration needs.

Smart Automation for the Next Communications Age

Finding new revenue streams and differentiating from the competition are both gaining in importance, because the ways people consume communications are changing rapidly. The Switch 11 Generation, and beyond, reflects the broadest marketplace’s need for intelligent automation that can be put to work – and help them grow -- relatively quickly.

The new system structure will perfectly serve every operation and application in the marketplace, and in fact renders them future-proof by evolving with customers’ changing needs.

What is Switch Automation and How Customers Drove the Change

Enfocus Switch’s open architecture and neutral file format handling means it can seamlessly integrate with existing systems, software, and people ; effectively unleashing their power by creating connections and optimising capabilities that in many cases have not even been utilised before. Built-in intelligence allows Switch to “see” deep inside of files, software and workflows to maximise resources and to make existing workflows ‘smart’.

“Switch is a masterpiece of automation engineering,” Prudhomme explains, “But because it’s always been ahead of its time, restructuring the range of Switch offerings has resulted in easier implementation by broader markets.” 

Prudhomme explains that Enfocus teams therefore worked on making Switch easier to customise. “The system is fully scalable and can evolve with client needs, so that professionals utilise the building blocks they need, at least initially, and then use additional modules as their requirements change and grow.”

Best Practices Advance and Are Incorporated in Next Generation of Switch

An inspiration for the next generation of Switch was the way its best practices evolved, and the company recognised that one-at-a-time automation “wins” allow operators to learn Switch in a natural way that builds on itself, and produces the best results over time. The most common, highest ROI “wins” are now integrated within the Switch Core Engine solution.

“There are great numbers of people out there who understand how to really manipulate Switch,” Prudhomme says, referring to several hundreds of existing customers ranging from small, local operations through to mid-size and large organisations such as The Economist, Hallmark, and Playboy.”

Now, shop owners and managers who didn’t think they had the people, time or “know how” to take advantage of Switch; are interested in its “easier” entry point, through the Switch Core Engine.  “They see how genuinely fast and significant the ROI is, and the modular approach makes it even simpler to get started,” Prudhomme says.

Maximising Existing Systems and People

Successful Switch utilisation results in tremendous time savings and efficiency. Margins will grow as systems produce automatically, allowing people to invest their time in perfecting quality and service that will insure loyalty from current customers, while allowing time to explore new business and customers.

Switch is Critical in Vulnerable Times of Change

Highest growth areas include digital printing, as well as cross-, or multi-channel media. These applications allow printers and other service providers to offer new wide format and variable options, and new media output, among other things. A variety of reasons leave these businesses confused and vulnerable about tying their old and new digital workflows together. This is one of the most perfect applications of Switch: its open architecture allows it to be the glue that binds any publishing production systems and applications together, without the need to purchase additional software.

Says Prudhomme, “Switch will be instrumental to the people and companies who are changing the course of publishing history.”

Availability:

Switch 11 is available as of today. Pricing of Switch 11 starts at 1.500 Eur. For more information on pricing and modules, please contact your preferred reseller or contact sales@enfocus.com.

Esko will officially launch Suite 12 at drupa 2012. This major update to its software suite for the packaging, label, sign making and display industries, will play a central role at Esko’s drupa stand A23 in hall 8B.

Bernard Zwaenepoel, Senior VP Software Business at Esko, comments, “Our customers reported increased demand to push more products to market faster, at the lowest possible cost, enabled by global world-wide-web based communication. Consumer Packaged Goods manufacturers demand commitment to brand execution from the packaging supply chain and insist on higher shelf impact designs, no-compromise print quality, more package variations and increased compliancy with regulations. The complexity for packaging service providers and converters has increased, and in this challenging environment Suite 12 provides strong answers,”

With Suite 12, Esko provides answers to the challenges of modern brand execution. Enhanced 3D capabilities are pushing the “first moment of truth” further upstream in the supply chain. Packaging management tools in WebCenter 12 provide an overview on the entire packaging project and more control over each step in the process. And with Color Engine 12 a major breakthrough is set for consistent and accurate colour reproduction.

“Packaging professionals looking for faster time to market, effective and reliable workflow solutions and guaranteed colour consistency will be impressed by Suite 12. They will see many examples of our commitment to our customers and our dedication to continuous improvement of our solutions," continues Zwaenepoel.

Suite 12 brings additional productivity and efficiencies to the user.

• Integrated “best in class” applications. The new releases of the flagship applications ArtiosCAD, ArtPro, PackEdge, DeskPack and Studio combine interactive editing power and integration with workflow automation and colour management.
• Rich 3D functionality for a holistic experience. Stunning structural design in 3D and realistic graphics editing and visualisation of a package “in context” speeds up the production process and is an efficient QC tool reducing the risk at human errors.
• Mobile collaboration in a web-enabled workflow. Mobile interaction with the workflow is now possible, and with the Internet as a backbone for collaboration and resource-sharing, Suite 12 software manages and automates every step of the production workflow.

Zwaenepoel adds, “Esko once more confirms its leadership position in the packaging industry: no one covers the width and depth of our packaging solutions. We are aware of our responsibility towards thousands of users worldwide for whom our solutions are business critical. The upgrade to Suite 12 will improve their competitive strengths. The upgrade is fully included as part of their customer’s Maintenance Contract, ensuring that they continue to work with the latest and most advanced tools available in the marketplace.”

Suite 12 will be commercially available for customers worldwide as of June 2012.

For more information, please visit www.esko.com